China's middle class is projected to reach 40% of the population in 2020, twice the proportion at the turn of the century, according to the International City Development Report released jointly by the Social Sciences Academic Press and Shanghai Academy of Social Science more ›

A web designer up in Beijing has gotten himself all in a tizzy over Bill Gate's and Warren Buffet's philanthropic billionaire's dinner taking place later this evening. You don't need a bazillion dollars to be a philanthropist, or at least that's the message this Beijing resident is trying to send by organizing his own dinner for charity - one for the average Joes. more ›

China's "middle class" has been touted as the country's best shot at a stable survival. But what does it even mean to be part of it? A People's Daily reporter goes in to find out and realizes that everything is about debt, debt and more debt. A mortgage takes up half your salary, you have a car you worry you can't afford to drive and, despite making ten times what you did ten years ago, it never seems enough. Interestingly enough, that sounds a lot like the American middle class. Helpfully translated by people over at China Digital Times. more ›

While China's middle class right now consists of only a quarter of the population, they are set to grow to nearly half the total population by 2020, according to Euromonitor. That means that 700 million out of the estimated 1.45 billion people of 2020 will have an income of roughly between 80,000RMB (11,800USD) to 120,000RMB (17,700USD) a year. more ›

Elliot Ng of CNReviews has a really interesting article up on a new breed of people in China and the new term they've been nicknamed: Xiaozi (小资). So what does it mean? Apparently, Xiaozi is translated as the "petty" part of "petty bourgeoisie," but it's meaning is related more to the now maturing richer middle class in China that's attracted to "Western" commercial and artistic culture. more ›

• 'Empire of the Sun' author J.G. Ballard dies [USA TODAY] "Writer J.G. Ballard, best known for the autobiographical novel Empire Of The Sun, which drew on his childhood detention in a Japanese prison camp in China, died Sunday, his agent said. He was 78."
• No-Drama Obama China Policy [JLM Pacific Epoch] There is no split in the Obama administration when it comes to China policy. Non-naïve, non-ideological, clear-eyed and serious engagement is where this relationship is headed. It looks like Obama will be coming to China after the APEC meetings in November. Look for the White House to use its star-power to reach out directly to the Chinese people.
• Porsche Introduces a Luxury Sedan to the Chinese Market [NY Times] "Company executives said that the car would start at $89,800 in the United States and more, sometimes much more, in countries with higher taxes. The turbo version with a V-8 engine will cost 2.5 million yuan, or $366,000, in China, which has stiff import taxes and heavy taxes on family vehicles with large engines."